The planned acts of civil disobedience come two years after union-backed workers began pushing for wages of $15 an hour—more than twice the federal minimum wage of $7.25—and for the right to organize. The protests have spread and drawn growing attention—including from President Barack Obama, who highlighted them in a speech this week—but major fast-food companies so far have made no significant concessions.

Workers and community activists that support their push for higher wages have taken part in civil disobedience training in preparation for Thursday’s demonstrations in 150 cities across the country, according to campaign organizers.

“McDonald’s restaurants are open for business as usual and welcoming customers,” McDonald’s said in a statement Thursday, adding that it hadn’t received reports of service disruptions. The company suggested that protesters were being paid to participate. “We reiterate that these are not ‘strikes’ but are staged demonstrations in which people are being transported to fast-food restaurants,” it said.

“Workers are not getting paid to strike,” said Kendall Fells, organizing director of Fast-Food Forward. Some workers who are losing pay by participating in the demonstrations are getting some financial support from colleagues, as is common in labor actions, he said.

“Rather than try to deflect attention from its low wages, McDonald’s should listen to its workers and the president and raise wages,” Mr. Fells said.

Tell ya what, you commie idiot, rather than being forced to raise their prices and drive themselves out of business to suit mouthbreathers’ demand for high-skill wages for low-skill jobs, here’s a little splash of cold water reality for ya:

A company called Momentum Machines has built a robot that could radically change the fast-food industry and have some line cooks looking for new jobs.

The company’s robot can “slice toppings like tomatoes and pickles immediately before it places the slice onto your burger, giving you the freshest burger possible.” The robot is “more consistent, more sanitary, and can produce ~360 hamburgers per hour.” That’s one burger every 10 seconds.

The next generation of the device will offer “custom meat grinds for every single customer. Want a patty with 1/3 pork and 2/3 bison ground to order? No problem.”

And with zero shirking, belligerent attitude, calling in hungover every Monday, and general whining about how tough they have it, too. Emphasis mine, in hopes that even these muttonheaded SEIU ass-scratchers can maybe figure it out on their way to the bread line and welfare offices.

As I said over at Bill’s, we’re edging closer to the Macswiney’s automated fast food place from Harry Harrison’s The Stainless Steel Rat is Born. For those who have never read it, it had no human employees at all. People walked up, ordered, paid, and had their order delivered by machines. Only a maintenance man showed up once a month to make sure it was all working.